Russell Phillips appointed William Applebaum Professor of Medicine

Russell Phillips, director of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care, has been appointed the William Applebaum Professor of Medicine. Phillips was promoted to HMS professor of medicine in 2004, and served as chief of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center between 2002 and 2012.

The William Applebaum Professorship was established in 1981 with support from a generous endowment by William Applebaum. Applebaum, a longtime executive for Stop & Shop, was a former faculty member at Harvard Business School. Applebaum, who had once considered a career in medicine, set up a trust in 1966 to benefit Harvard Medical School. The endowment grew and in 1981 the Applebaum Professorship was officially activated. Franklin H. Epstein was the first incumbent.

Phillips is a recognized national thought leader in primary care and is past president of the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine. As director of the Center for Primary Care, Phillips is leading the Academic Innovations Collaborative, a learning community that joins together 18 HMS-affiliated practices caring for more than 270,000 patients. Together these 18 centers are creating a new approach to primary care practice and education.